DOE advisory board reevaluates renewable energy program

MANILA, Philippines – The failure to meet the renewable energy target capacity under the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) prompted an advisory council of the Department of Energy (DOE) to reevaluate the current road map for the country’s development of renewable energy resources.

National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) Chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta said the board is now working on an updated NREP that will cover the renewable energy road map until 2040.

The current NREP covers 2011 to 2030.

“This is a good time to reassess. It’s [almost been] 10 years. The programs are in place. Let’s reassess and shift gears if we need to. Because the challenge is still there, to meet the targets, and probably to increase the target. What we’re doing is reevaluate the program so that we can see why we did not meet the target, what work do we still need to do,” said Dimalanta.

An updated NREP could be issued in October this year.

The NREP outlines the policy framework of Republic Act No. 9513. It sets the strategic building blocks that will help the country achieve the goals set by the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. 

Under the current NREP, the country is targeting 22,000 megawatts (MW) in RE capacity, with RE accounting for 35% of the total energy mix by 2030.

“In the supply mix, more than 30%, now it’s 23% as of last year. Instead of increasing the share of RE in the supply mix, we’re reducing. But there are a lot of factors that explains that, it’s not just because we’re using less RE. There are a lot more plants that were built that were using non-RE. The pie got bigger with the share of non-RE getting bigger. For RE, the increase was not proportional,” Dimalanta explained.

A Department of Energy (DOE) official, Mylene Capongcol, said “there were delays” in support mechanisms “like RPS (Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards) on grid and off grid [and the] GEOP (Green Energy Option Plan),” which may have contributed to the failure to meet the NREP targets.

Capongcol is the director of the DOE’s Renewable Energy Management Bureau.

“The target is to triple the capacity by 2030. At the time NREP was issued, the existing RE capacity was 5,000 MW.  The target is by end of 2030, it should be 15,000 MW. However, based on our assessment, around 7,000 MW was recorded from 2011 to 2017,” Capongcol said. – Rappler.com